


Reflections

by VoidofRoses



Series: Sunshine, Moonlight, Starlight [2]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: Gen, Genderfluid Character, Trans Character, bath time for snufkin, genderfluid snufkin, mamma is a mamma, moomin has questions but doesn’t want to bother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 13:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18605140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidofRoses/pseuds/VoidofRoses
Summary: Snufkin’s tail curled around his leg as he sucked in a breath, finding himself not at all bothered like he would have been years ago. He was a Snufkin, and a Snufkin was a Snufkin. It didn’t matter what his gender was.





	Reflections

**Author's Note:**

> As someone who has struggled with her identity for a while and eventually settled on genderfluid, I find Snufkin’s character oddly comforting. We know that the Mymble gives birth to red haired, sassy and beautiful ladies, so I kind of wanted to explore something with Snuf as the canvas. Again, 1990s series is my home base so if anything’s off canon, lmk. Otherwise, enjoy :)

For as long as he had known Snufkin, Moomintroll didn’t think he’d seen him in anything other than his raincoat, boots and feather-topped cap. He didn’t even think he’d seen the other boy bathe. Though he admired him a great deal and valued him as a friend, Moomintroll knew that Snufkin needed his own space, and would often wander off for days on time by himself, though he would always come back to Moominvalley, to his tent and the river and to Moomintroll.

His latest venture saw him gone for almost a week until Moomintroll heard his spring tune, perking up where they were having brunch out on the verandah. “Mamma?” he asked tentatively, his ears twitching and snout wriggling in excitement. She eyed his plate, but nodded her consent and he excused himself, pushing away from the table and scampering down the steps to greet his friend.

Moomintroll stopped short on the grass and clover covered hill when he saw Snufkin from a distance, his tail lashing about behind him as he watched, perplexed and perhaps a bit curious. “Welcome back!”

“Hullo, Moomin,” the young vagabond replied when he was closer, his harmonica in one hand and the other raised in salutations. The mouth organ went into the pocket of his dirty raincoat, for Snufkin was covered head to toe in sludge and mud. He grinned a bit despite himself. “I don’t suppose I could trouble you for a bath? I fell into a spot of bother on my way back.”

“Oh no, no trouble at all. I’ll go ask mamma.”

Moominmamma was just as shocked as Moomintroll was at Snufkin’s state of dress, placing her hands on her hips and shaking her head before she gestured him into the house. “Come in, Snufkin. I’ll draw you a bath from the well. Or...Moomin?”

“I can do it, mamma.”

As Moomintroll ran off to do that, Mamma escorted Snufkin inside, tutting at him as a mother were to do he supposed. “Whatever were you thinking, dear?”

“Well I suppose I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was walking,” he said simply, turning to watch his friend at the well before shaking some of the dried muck off. “I was more or less concentrating on the journey back.”

“Still, you should be careful,” she mused, holding her hands out. Snufkin blinked at her as the elder Moomin wriggled her fingers. “I’ll wash your clothes while you wash yourself.”

“Er, it rained on the way back, they’re fine.” His fingers went to his pockets nonetheless, pulling out a small paper bag, his pipe and harmonica, placing them on a nearby table. “But knowing you, Moominmamma, you’ll wash them anyway.” Snufkin paused, his tail twitching nervously behind him, paws stilling at his scarf. “If it would be alright, I would prefer to change privately.”

“Oh! Yes of course.” She gestured for him to follow her into the house, looking a bit curious. “This way to the bathroom, Snufkin.” Snufkin trudged after her after toeing his boots off at the door, muck spreading across the welcome mat as he did so, for he did not want to track it all across the lower floor of the house for her to clean up after. Moominmamma turned to face him at the door, inclining her head. “Moomintroll will be in with the water soon I imagine. Take your time.”

“Thank you, mamma, and, please, tell him to knock?” She looked puzzled but nodded in agreement. She knew Snufkin to be a very private person, and so turned and left him to his devices as he shut the door to the wash room. Snufkin let out a small sigh as soon as she was out of earshot, looking around the bathroom. It was as decorated as the rest of Moominhouse, a rug on the floor and the claw footed bathtub the centre pieces of an otherwise dull room, a chair to the side of a floor length mirror. Making sure the drapes were drawn, Snufkin took his hat off and placed it on the chair, then slowly began undressing.

How long had it been since he’d seen himself in anything other than a watery reflection? Five, six seasons? He couldn’t remember. The mumrik draped his coat over the back of the chair and crossed his arms around his chest. The minute he’d left home, he’d cut his hair, shaking it out of that awful bob that mother had liked to put it up in, and it had remained a scraggly mess ever since, only taken to every once in a while when it got a bit long. His skin had scars, marks from skirmishes and the stray tick and leech - living in the forest and on the road was accompanied by the creatures that inhabited it.

Snufkin’s tail curled around his leg as he sucked in a breath, finding himself not at all bothered like he would have been years ago. He was a Snufkin, and a Snufkin was a Snufkin. It didn’t matter what his gender was.

“Sorry, Snufkin, I don’t think you heard me, but here’s the water...” Moomintroll’s voice stopped short when he entered the bathroom, blinking when he saw the other boy in front of the mirror. Or...maybe not boy? They both stared at each other, Snufkin’s cheeks slowly glowing red and Moomintroll feeling his own heating up. The troll yelled something (he didn’t know what, an apology maybe?) and placed the bucket on the floor before scampering out the door, closing it behind him.

Snufkin sighed and looked at the bucket, blowing some hair from his face. “I suppose I’m going to have to explain something later, aren’t I?” he said to himself, dropping his arms from his chest and walking over to pick it up.

Talk later, bath now.

\---

The next time he saw Moomintroll on the veranda, the other boy had his face in his hands, the tips of his ears still red and betraying the fact that either of them had blushed. Moominmamma had passed in some spare clothes, given his raincoat and scarf were still drying, and Snufkin felt oddly comfortable in the collared shirt and overalls, sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

He stood there until Moomintroll spoke, his hand coming down to his snout. “I’m sorry for barging in like that. I really don’t think you heard me.”

“It’s okay. I was probably lost in my own thoughts.” Snufkin leaned against the bannister with his hands in the pockets of the shorts, tail curled around his leg. “Do you have any...questions?”

Moomintroll was quiet for another moment before he shook his head. “I don’t think so. You’re still Snufkin. Who you are underneath the raincoat and hat doesn’t matter to me.”

It felt like a great weight had lifted from Snufkin’s shoulders at that comment, finding himself able to breathe easier. “Well, I’m glad you think so.” He sat down and pulled his pipe from his pocket, already filled with the plant that he had sought out a week ago. “My mother liked to dress me the way a lady should dress,” he began, offering the information up freely as he lit his pipe and puffed from it. “As soon as I left home I cut my hair.”

“Is it really so restricting?” Moomintroll asked curiously, tilting his head to look at him. “Being a girl? I’ve never seen anything restrict Little My.”

“Some places would like to tell you so,” Snufkin responded, one of his feet finding a step while the other stayed on the verandah, one hand kept around his pipe. “There are rules and laws that a girl needs to obey that a boy doesn’t. Why do you think I dislike authority so much?” He puffed a ring of smoke off to the side, the two of them watching it spread and dissipate over the valley. “But, Moomintroll, I’ve never felt more a girl than a boy or vice versa. I’m simply...me. That’s all I can be.”

Moomintroll thought about it, watching the next smoke ring as his tail twitched behind him. “That’s okay. Like I said, you’re still Snufkin. I don’t care about the other stuff.”

“Thank you, my friend.” He gave him a smile around his pipe. “I wish the rest of the world thought the same.”


End file.
